19 



standing at the head of the list in point of market 

 value, possibly on account of more than ordinary 

 care being taken in the manufacture. They 

 form a firm semi-translucent jelly when mixed 

 with a small quantity of boiling water, and are 

 palatable and digestible, although it must be 

 remembered that these and all other Starches 

 of themselves are by no means a perfect food, 

 being destitute of nitrogenous or flesh-forming 

 material. They therefore require the addition of 

 other substances rich in albuminoids, such as meat, 

 pulse, &c. They are, however, invaluable as heat 

 producers, and it is in this respect that they are 

 essential to nutrition. It may here be mentioned 

 that the name Arrowroot is derived from the fact 

 that the natives of the countries producing it, 

 use the bruised rhizome as an application to 

 wounds caused by their arrows, and the term is 

 now applied to many other Starches used as 

 food. The Marantacece are destitute of any 

 other properties of economic value. 



It is impossible to detect, microscopically, 

 any difference in the varieties of West Indian 

 Arrowroot, their sources being the same. 



